What is selective licensing?

A scheme where a council requires a licence for every private rented property in a designated area, whether or not it is an HMO.

Councils use it in areas with low housing demand, antisocial behaviour or poor property conditions. A designation lasts up to five years and has to be consulted on before it starts.

The licence carries conditions about management and condition, and letting without one where a scheme applies is an offence. The area boundaries can be a single street, so a postcode check is not enough.